Improved cab-coupling



' part of this specication, in which- Y @atten gisten atrnt @fitta WILLIAM Jr MILLAR, OF -MQKEESPOR'R PEN N SYLVAN IA. Latas Patent No. 72,664, met December 24, 1867.

IMPROVBD GAR-COUPLING.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. MILLAR, of hIcKeesport,-n the county ofl Allegheny, and State of Penxv' Sylvania, have invented new and useful Improvementiu Car-Couplings; and I do hercbydecla-re the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referentie being had to the accompanying drawings, making a Figure 1 is a horizontal section passingthrough my improvcment, showing the devices I employ; and Figure 2 is a vertical section showing the same devices. 'I Like letters of reference indicate like parts. 4

The desirableness of a self-attacl1ing,and, in certain cascsvo accident, of va self-detaehing apparatus foi` connecting railway-cars, whereby the danger of loss of life, injury to the persons ofboth travellers and employes may be lessened, is perfectly manifest. i l .f y

The nature of my invention consists in. the construction lo f atar-coupling which shall be selfacting in coupling cars together, and which, when for any reason a car leaves or. is thrownffrom the taack, will automatically uncoupleso as not to involve other cars, with which it may-be c onuecteth'in the same disaster.

To enable others skilled in the art to make anduse my'invention', Iwill proceed to describe its construction 4n .nd mode of operation.

a and a' represent two draw-heads, similar to each other, of any desirable form, exceptas hereinafter to be described, and which are attached to either freight or passenger-cars in any ordinary way....-Each such draw i head a or a has a hopper-shaped bull-nose, b, large atl the outer end, and terminating ina throat, c, small but of suiicient size to admit readily the connecting or coupling-bars c e', and'allow of their free and easy play in both a vertical and lateral direction, vso far as is requiredby the corresponding movements of the cars. The

bars e e for coupling are substantially of the shape shownl in the drawings. They vare secured each to its draw head a a' by bolts 't' e', removable or otherwise at pleasure, passing throughone end of eaeh,lwhile` the other ends, o 0, of hook-shape, slip over or hook on to bolts or pins n n. The coupling-bars e e are usually made flat, with arrow-shaped heads o o, as shown in fig. 2, so that they shall not impinge against eachother, end to end, when the cars come together. At the same time they are guided to their place's bythe slopingsides of the bull-nose b, so made that the coupling-bars e emay enter and couple at any angle the cars may assume when run together-- Thus entering, the arrow-headed hooks o o drop over the pins n 1t, and the coupling is completed.' The upper' edges of the coupling-bars e e are bevelled, particularly near the heads o o, in order that one may not ride the other when in the act of coupling. Both the coupling-bars e e have a free lateral motion on their respective Y bolts z' t', so as to permit either to slide freely, right or 1e`ft,`as the other,'wheuentcring, may cliance to strike it.

As above stated, the throat c in each draw-head a a is sufficiently deep to allow free vertical play to the coupling-bars e e', for all ordinary motions ofthe cars; butif a' car leaves or is thrown from the track, or falls through a bridge or trestle-work, or meets with other similar accident, the change in the position of such car,

relative to thccars to which'it is coupled, will cause all to act on their coupling-bars e e as if the latter were levers, so as to cause the hooks o o to be unhookedfrom the pins-itat. The weight of each car acts as a power at its bolt t', onits bar e or e', and the pins n or throate, being fulcra, causing them to unhook. Thus the cars are automatically uncoupled, the falling car entirely disengaged, and the other car-or cars left on the trackA The same result is secured when one of thc cars turns over` sideways down an embankment. Each of the coupling-bars e e is then unhooked, by being turned so that'the vertical plane ofits hook, o, shzill be brought parallel to a plane passing longitudinally through the axis of the piu a.v In such case the hooks o o will obviously be detached. The inner edges of each throat, e, should be rounded or, bcvelled that the hooks o o may not catch on them. l

My invention is of advantage, and is van additional and important element of safety, not only to the cars that remain on-the track,as above set forth, but also to such car or cars as leave the track, since many of the disastrous eil'e'cts or results of railway-accidents are caused by the dragging of the injured or 'displaced car.

Even by the breaking .of a wheel or an axle, a car will be dropped sufficiently low to uncouple in the manner above stated. Then, being detached from the locomotive, it must necessarily stop till thel break `or other injury is repaired. Thus th-e danger of lossof life and injury ot' personto all the passengers and employs on a'railway train, in case of accident, is greatly lessened.

As a further advantage, though of less importance as compared with loss of life or bodily harm, I claim that the cars themselves will be much less liable to injury from accident when thus coupled, so that a great saving in cost of repairs will be effected by the-usc of my improvement. As the bars e e are counterparts of each other, as well as the draw-heads a a', the cars may be reversed or turned around onthe track. In every such ease the coupling, as described, will be ready for use. It is simple, easily constructed and operated,

effective, automatic in its action in coupling, and, in case of accident, equally so in uncoupling. The use of it obviates all necessity of endangering life in making up a train.

The bolts z' z' and pins n n may occupy any relative position with reference to cach other in their respective draw-heads, provided only they be so placed as to perform the functions above named. The hooks described should not project so far underV their pins n n, when in operation, but that they may readily be disengaged in the manner above set forth.

To uncouple the cars, I' simply raise the coupling-bars e e', either by hand or by an apparatus especially designed forthat purpose. The hooks o o being thus loosened, the cars may be drawn apart.

The bull-nose b, instead of having a hoppcr-shape, may be of the form of a hollow cone or frustum of a cene, the smaller end terminating in the throat c.

What I claim as my invention, and d esirc to secure by Letters Patent, is

Two coupling-bars, attached by bolt-s, one to each of two opposite draw-heads, each coupling-bar having an arrow-shaped head and hook, in combination with the hopper-shaped or conical bullnose b, and pins or bolts over whicl1.the hooks slide and couple, for the purpose of forming a self-connecting and disconnecting earcoupling, substantially in the manner hereinbefore set; forth. 4

In testimony whereof, I, the said WILLIAM J. MILLAR, have hereunto set my hand, in presence of- WILLIAM J. MILLAR.

Witnesses:

A: S. NICHOLSON, Guo. H. CHRISTY. 

